NDP calls for urgent meeting to discuss supports for asylum seekers

OTTAWA – New Democrats are calling for an emergency meeting of the Immigration and Refugee Committee to discuss the lack of support for the growing number of asylum seekers crossing the border from the United States.

“Trump’s anti-immigrant and racist policies have created this situation, and Canada cannot stand idly by in the face of growing hate,” said Jenny Kwan, the NDP’s Immigration and Refugee Critic. “So far the Liberals have dragged their heels and failed to present a clear plan, meanwhile the Conservatives’ only solution is to take a page from Trump and shut down the border to asylum seekers.”

The Liberal government has been slow to criticize US policies on immigration including the US travel ban targeting Muslims and the policy forcibly separating children asylum seekers from their parents. The NDP has repeatedly called for adequate funding for immigration services and for the government to suspend the Safe Third Country agreement which forces asylum seekers to make dangerous border crossings.

“It’s clear to everyone that under the Trump administration the United States is no longer a safe country for asylum seekers,” said Kwan. “But we need real supports for asylum seekers - and putting them in student dorms and homeless shelters is not a plan.”